Rumblings xtra: Items that didn't make print edition

The Browns’ decision to trade the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft to
Atlanta for five draft picks instead of taking wide receiver Julio Jones has been continually
debated given the woeful performance of the team’s pass receivers since then.

It’s a little surprising then that an ESPN.com poll on that topic – Should the Browns have
drafted Julio Jones? – was getting mixed results (46 percent yes, 45 percent no, 9 percent
undecided) after the first 5,900 people voted.

Maybe it’s because rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden was drafted with a first round pick
acquired in that deal and the Browns used a a 2012 fourth-round pick in that deal as part of the
package to trade up one spot for Richardson. The other players Cleveland got for that pick:
defensive tackle Phil Taylor (Atlanta's 2011 first-round pick), wide receiver Greg Little (2011
second-round pick) and fullback Owen Marecic (2011 fourth-round pick).

The undecided may have it right: it’s hard to know whether the deal was good or bad until
Weeden’s Cleveland career is deemed a success or failure.

Kevin Martin is entering his contract year with Houston, and with the Rockets
rebuilding, the Zanesville, Ohio, native is among the NBA players that Hoopsworld.com says will
likely be traded mid-season. After spending his entire pro career with Sacramento and Houston, the
29-year-old

Western Carolina grad will probably welcome a chance to showcase his skills with a playoff
team. The Rockets believe they already have a replacement on their roster in Jeremy Lamb.

Penn State coach Bill O’Brien told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the possible
struggles that the program faces in recruiting in the next few years “is a strategy we're talking
about every day."

He said about 40 to 50 recruits have visited for each home game this season, and he explains
to recruits about how Beaver Stadium offers an attendance and environment few programs can
match.

The former New England Patriots assistant also said he invites NFL scouts to the team’s
practices and a scout from every NFL team has been to at least one practice this year.

"Okay, the numbers, the numbers are not equal to the other teams out there," O'Brien said. "We
understand that. As a staff we have to do a great job of understanding that. But at the end of the
day, you know, I've been very, very impressed with the fact that people really, really enjoy being
recruited by us."